


A cute duckling in an ugly world

by DarkValkyrie



Category: Demons - Fandom, Fantasy - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Demon Powers, Demon world, Demons, Implied Murder, Murder, Royalty, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-04-21 08:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22053913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkValkyrie/pseuds/DarkValkyrie
Summary: A twist on an old story. A cute duckling in an ugly demon world. A cute demon that starts with nothing, fighting trough the world, the insults, laughter of others at her appearance and other demons making fun of her for being cute, for being different.But she doesn't grow into a monstrous swan. No, that's not how her story ends.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. The city

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't know where I got the inspiration for this story. I just woke up one day and started writing it.
> 
> I didn't use any movies, books or series for inspiration the story is my original work.  
This is just the result of my weird imagination and brain telling me what to write. I hope you liked it :)
> 
> It’s still just a story, like all of my other stores. It doesn’t have a deeper spiritual, moral or ethical meaning.

There isn’t a more heartwarming moment than a look on a parent’s face full of pride. A mother proud of her child was a thing that could warm a whole room.

“Stop that mom. You’re embracing me and dad.” Alcid said.

“I don’t care. I’m so proud of you. You’re finally going to high school.” Her mother said.

“It’s not like I’m going to be a doctor after this. It’s just high school mom.” Alcid said.

“Yeah, leave the kid alone.” Her father said. “You and I also went to the same high school. You know how it is there. Just a bunch of spoiled brats.”

“Will you let me enjoy this moment.” Her mother said.

“No, because we have better things to do. The bus will be here in fifteen minutes and I still have to tend to the tree eaters.” Her father said.

“Alright, but this is on you. Alcid come and visit us when you have a chance. And don’t forget to have fun.” Her mother said.

The summer’s red sun was still high up in the sky. The bus ride to the city should take about two hours and the ride to the school dorm another hour. Alcid was excited to finally go to the only city. There were smaller towns and villages but this was the only city. She had already been in the city with her father to get supplies for the farm, but this time it was different. This time she was going alone and she’ll have four years to explore the city on her own. 

The bus arrived and she got on. This year Alcid was the only one from her village to go to high school. Maybe that was better, Alcid was excited to make new friends. As they arrived at the city, she got out of the bus. She stood in front of the bus station for a few moments absorbing the environment. The city was so big and full of everything your heart desired. She snapped out of it and took out a piece of paper out of her pocket. Alcid read the instructions on how to get to the bus to the school dorms and started to head towards the tram that will take her there. While walking to the tram she looked around just taking in the city atmosphere, dragging her suitcase behind her.

At the tram station, someone bumped into her and she fell. Alcid looked in the direction of the one who pushed her and saw a bunch of guys looking at her and laughing. She forgot that the way she looked would cause problems for here in the city. She was different from other demons. Alcid didn’t have sharp teeth, scaly skin, big claws, horns or spikes on her body, couldn’t roar and scare others. Alcid was smaller than other demons, she was half their size, she had white fluffy fur all over her body, white long hair, golden eyes, small sharp teeth, long arms, reaching down to her knees, small claws and a black flower that cowered almost the entire left side of her head. Her favorite color was black so she always wore black dresses, jackets and shoes. That made her even cuter.

When the train arrived, Alcid hoped on and took a seat. The train was running on rails above the ground so she got to see more of the city. The city seemed chaotic. In the middle, there was a big graveyard and a lake full of demons relaxing and picnicking. One part was full of tall buildings, with one towering over all the others. It was so big that it was blocking the sun. There were other buildings like the City horror museum and other art museums. Alcid couldn’t wait to go see them all. Her village was small, even compared to other villages, and there were no museums or galleries. The biggest event in her village was the Halloween fair that was only interesting for the little ones.

After some time she saw the school in the distance. It was big. Alcid read that a lot of demons come to this school from their villages because many the villages don’t have their own high schools, like hers. As the train came closer to the school, Alcid took her suitcase and headed towards the doors. She could hear a murmur of voices, insults and laughter. Alcid knew that they were all directed at her. It was tough being a cute demon in a world of scary demons. 

When the train stopped, she got out and read the instructions to see where she had to register. The instructions just said that she needed to register at the A3 building but there were around fifteen buildings on the school grounds. ’_How am I supposed to know where the A3 building is?_’ Alcid thought and looked around. She saw a map of the school grounds, walked over to it, found the building on the map and headed there.

The building was massive, Alcid’s whole village could live in it. Alcid saw a door in the middle of the building and went through. A black demoness was sitting in a small room sharpening her claws. She had long black and red hear, six horns coming out of her forehead, one red and one white eye and claws as long as Alcid’s forearm.

“Hi! My name is Alcid Kirara. I’m here to register.” Alcid said.

The demoness looked at her and said. “You sure you’re in the right place?”

“Yes. My instructions said I have to register at the A3 building.” Alcid said.

“What I mean sweetie is that you don’t look like a demon. You sure you should be here?” The demoness said.

“Yes. I’m sure. I’m here to learn to be a demon.” Alcid said.

“Alright.” The demoness said and then yelled “Shaosi! Get down here! We got a new one!”

After a few seconds, Alcid heard a commotion and someone running like crazy down the stairs. At the last part of the stairs, the demoness missed a step and came falling down towards them. She got up, straightened her clothes and asked the demoness in the small room. “You called?” 

“Yes, we have a new one. First year student. Take her to her room and explain the rules to her.” The demoness said pointing to Alcid. Shaosi, the demoness who fell down the stairs, looked at Alcid confused. Shaosi was tall, even for a demon, half of her body was white and the other half, blood red. Both of her eyes were completely black and her shoulders and upper arms were covered in sharp spikes. “You sure this is the new one?” Shaosi asked the demoness.

“Just do as I said Shaosi.” The demoness replied.

“Alright. What’s your name?” Shaosi asked.

“Alcid.” Alcid replied.

“Come with me. I’ll show you your room.” Shaosi said.

While they were walking, Shaosi started to explain things about the school to Alcid. “Welcome to the Exclusive vicious international lethal academy or as we like to call it EVIL academy. Each floor has students from the corresponding year. This is your first year so your room is on the first floor.”

As they climbed up on the first floor and entered the right wing of the building Alcid could hear a loud *kssshsssshss!* sound coming from a closet behind the door.

“Don’t mind that. That’s just Varmparia. She doesn’t like the light so she hides in dark places. Just ignore her.” Shaosi said.

“Ok.” Alcid said.

”Where was I? Oh yeah! On the ground floor are the bathrooms and the cafeteria. Breakfast is at seven, before first classes, Lunch is at three and dinner is at eight. In your first year, you will have all of the general classes but from the second year you will be able to choose the classes you want.” 

“I’ll be able to choose classes. How does that work?” Alcid asked.

“Well, not all demons are the same. Some are good at possessing mortals, some age good at scaring them, causing deception and destruction even on a global scale and some are good at tempting the mortals so that they to become demons. So, in the second year you can focus on what you want to do as a demon. I’m currently the best in my class and at tempting mortals to become demons.” Shaosi said and grinned showing her sharp teeth.

After some more walking, they reached a room, Shaosi opened the door and walked in. The room had two beds, tables and closets. There was nothing special about the room, there were no decorations, no pictures, just some scribbles on the walls from the previous students.

“One bed, table and closet are yours. Your roommate will come tomorrow. The rules are simple, you can do whatever you like except killing other students. This year my roommate Oumiu and I are in charge of helping the first year students, but if we are not here and you need help, you can ask any of the older students for help. My room is on the fifth floor, room number 5C.” Shaosi said, gave her a school brochure and said. “Unpack, get comfy and enjoy yourself. You’re goanna like it here. Bye!” Shaosi waved and left.

Alcid sat on one of the beds and took a deep breath. She was here, it was happening, she will finally learn how to be a proper demon. As the excitement eased, she started to unpack. All of the things from her suitcase fitted on one shelf. Alcid decided that she’ll go shopping for new things when she gets a chance. Meanwhile, she lay down on the bed and started to read the brochure Shaosi gave her. There was nothing interesting written in there, but it made the time go faster. Soon enough it was eight o’clock and time for dinner. 

Alcid got out of the room and went downstairs to the cafeteria. As soon as she entered the cafeteria, she saw the looks on the faces of other demoness’ and could her murmur of voices and laughter. ‘_I don’t think Shaosi was right. I don’t think I’ll like it here._’ Alcid thought, grabbed a tray of food and sat in a corner of the cafeteria, alone.

The next day Alcid was still in bed when her roommate arrived. First, she heard a commotion as if twenty people were running through the hallway and then the door to her room opened.

“Hurry up! I’m not paying you to slack around. Put the suitcases and the boxes in the room. I said… Hurry up!!!” Alcid heard an annoying voice yelling and giving orders. Demon after demon entered the room and put suitcases and boxes on the floor. When they were done, there were ten suitcases and six boxes occupying the whole room.

“Now leave! I sad leave!” The annoying voice yelled and a demoness entered. She had dark gray skin, pointed ears and six silver horns coming out of her forehead, twisting back, framing her head. She had long black hear that reached all the way to her knees, a black dress ornamented by intricate silver stitching in the shape of human skulls. She looked at the room and said.

“Is this where they want me to live? They’re all barbarians like humans. There’s not even enough place for all my things.” The demoness’ said and her gaze stopped at Alcid. “And what are you? You don’t look like a demoness. You look like a children’s doll.”

“I’m Alcid and I am a demoness.” Alcid said.

“Huh, it talks.” The demoness’ said.

“Stop being rude Astera.” Shaosi said. “Alcid this is Astera. Your roommate. Try to get along you two. And Astera try to be a bit less like yourself. Ok?” Shaosi said and left.

“How many things do you have? I’m going to need both closets.” Astera asked.

“Not many, I...” Alcid started to say but Astera interrupted her and said. “Alright then. One shelf is yours and all the rest is mine.” Astera started unpacking and occupied all the closet space. From one of the boxes, Astera took out paper scrolls and hanged them over her bed.

“What are those symbols on the paper scrolls?” Alcid asked.

“Are you from the moral realm or what? Everybody knows that the oldest families have their sacred symbols that bring them luck, prosperity, fortune and other things on paper scrolls.” Astera said.

“Oh.” Alcid replied. Her family didn’t have those.

The first year classes were mostly concentrated on general things like the history of demons. Alcid knew the history by heart all the way to the part when the king and the queen of demons were killed and their daughter went missing, fifteen years ago because the king wanted to ban the killing of mortals. Her village was small and there was nothing to do there, so most of the time Alcid spent reading books. She liked history books, books about hero demons and math. Because of that, the classes that thought general things were boring to Alcid. The worst thing about the classes was that all the teachers, seeing how small Alcid was, asked her to sit in the front row so that she could see. She wanted to sit in the back to avoid others talking about her, quietly insulting her, laughing and throwing things at her. But that was now her everyday routine. 

The only class Alcid really liked was literature. She liked books, but she didn’t like the class just because of the literature, she liked it because of the teacher, Miss Xubrah. Every time a student in her class started to talk, laugh or do something without her permission she snapped her tree meter long tail, with spikes on the end at the student, leaving a cut in his face. Soon enough, in her class, nobody made fun of Alcid. Miss Xubrah was everything Alcid wanted to be. She had gray skin, black eyes, she was calm, composed, had long sharp spikes on her head, instead of her hear and that magnificent tail. 


	2. The friend

Two months into school and Alcid still didn’t make any friends. Everyone she met just made fun of her. She talked with Shaosi a few times about it but Shaosi couldn’t help her. Shaosi couldn’t stop all the demons picking on and making fun of Alcid because she was different. Even Astera, Alcid’s roommate, asked that they moved her to another room because Alcid was damaging her reputation. Soon enough, one of the demonesses wasn’t careful in chemistry class and blew herself up so Astera moved to her room. Alcid was now all alone, but at least she now had a sanctuary where no one insulted her and made fun of her.

In two weeks Halloween vacation will start. Halloween was the most celebrated day of the year. Halloween was the time of the year you spend with your family celebrating, giving each other gifts and eating so much food until you burst. Halloween was special for one more reason. With the red blood moon in the sky, the barrier between the demon world and the mortal world was the thinnest on that day so the student demons, who usually couldn’t cross to the mortal world, each year made a bet on who can scare a mortal to death. Others treated the winner of the bet like a king for the rest of the school year. The teachers knew about the beat, and that they were going to the mortal world without permission, but it was a good exercise for the students, so they let them do it. 

Alcid left the school and returned to her village for the Halloween vacation. Her mother had so many questions about the school, other demons, friends she made, but Alcid wasn’t in the mood to talk about school. She dodged the questions telling her mother that everything was fine and asking her how she and her father were. Most of her vacation she spent visiting her friends from the village and in her room. 

One day Alcid looked around her room thinking that she could take something with her to school to remind her of home when one of her bone ornaments fell under her bed. She kneeled on the floor and looked under her bed to see where it went. It stopped at the wall, as far away as it could have, of course. Alcid lay down on the floor to retrieve it and when she was under the bed, she looked up. She saw a big piece of paper on the bed under the mattress. She retrieved the bone ornament, stood next to the bed and lifted the mattress. The paper she saw had a symbol similar to the symbols Astera had on her paper scrolls. But how, her family wasn’t one of the old families. Alcid took the paper scroll and rolled it into a tube. She wanted to find out what it meant before she confronted her parents.

With Halloween vacation almost over Alcid went back to school. She got some nice new dresses, jackets and boots for Halloween. Her mother always knew what she liked. As she entered her dorm room, she saw two suitcases and a white demoness with two black horns, with ridges, on her head unpacking.

The demoness saw her and said. “Hi, I’m Kheba. I’m your new roommate.” Kheba said. She was white like Alcid with two small black horns on her, long sharp claws and a tail.

“Hi, I’m Alcid. How come you arrived just now?” Alcid asked.

“My family moves around a lot and there’s a whole bunch of us. This is my second high school and I told my dad that this time I’m staying here because this school has dorms.” Kheba said. “So what kind of a demon are you? What’s your power?” she asked.

Alcid realized that she never told anyone what her power was because no one asked her. She stood in the room for a few seconds and then said. “Well… It’s nothing special. Do you see this flower on my head? It produces an acid that can dissolve anything in seconds.”

“That’s amazing.” Kheba said. “Can you show me?”

“Yes. Do you have anything that you don’t want to see ever again?” Alcid asked.

“Yeah, just a sec.” Kheba rummaged through one of her suitcases and took out a framed picture of her as a small child.

“You sure you want to get rid of that? You look so adorable in that picture.” Alcid said.

Kheba gave Alcid a serious look and said. “That’s why I want to get rid of it.”

“Ok then, put it on the desk.” Alcid put her left hand next to her left ear and tilted her head to the left. A black acid with a silver glare came out of the center of the flower and into her hand. Alcid put her hand over the framed picture and said. “Say goodbye.” she dropped the acid onto the framed picture. The acid started to simmer and dissolve the picture. In a few seconds, the framed picture was no more.

“Awesome.” Kheba said again.

“What’s your power?” Alcid asked.

“Oh, I don’t have any powers yet. I’ll get them when I finish high school. That’s the way my family works. One of my uncles is going to retire soon and I will take his place.” Kheba said.

“What family are you from?” Alcid asked.

“Oh, you never saw one like me? I’m from the Krampus family. I’m the one hundredth generation Krampus. We are one of the oldest demon families. The first Krampus demon dates back two thousand years back, but as the mortal population got bigger, there was more demand for Krampus demons. There are now around two hundred Krampus demons roaming around. Each of us young ones is an empty canvas until one of the Krampus demons retires. Every Krampus demon retires after two hundred years of being a Krampus and then lives the rest of his life in here.” Kheba said.

“So you will get your powers. But why do you have to go to high school?” Alcid asked.

“I need the badge to cross over to the mortal world. Without finishing high school I can’t get permission and go to the mortal world. A Krampus that can’t go to the mortal world isn’t worth anything.” Kheba said.

“Can I ask you something?” Alcid asked.

“Yeah, sure.” Kheba said.

“Your family is one of the oldest demon families, so can you ask them what this means?” Alcid opened her bag and pulled out the paper that was under her bed. 

“Hmmm… It doesn’t look familiar to me, but I’ll take a photo and send it to my family. If they know something I’ll tell you.” Kheba said.

“Thanks.” Alcid said thinking that Kheba was the first demon that didn’t make fun of her. Who knows, maybe she just made her first friend.

Alcid noticed that the behavior of other demons towards her changed ever since Kheba arrived and they became friends. The teasing and laughing sopped. It almost seemed that the other demons started treating her like one of them. They still didn’t want to talk to her but at least they didn’t make fun of her anymore, which made the rest of the school year tolerable.

The first year of school ended and all the students went home for summer vacation. Alcid came back to her village concerned because Kheba’s family had never seen the symbol on the paper she found under her bed. Alcid wasn’t sure if she should confront her parents about that or just enjoy summer and try to find the meaning of the symbol on her own. She decided that she’ll visit the biggest library in the city and search for the symbol when she gets back to school.

She enjoyed the summer in the village. It reminded her of the time before she started high school, but the time flew by really fast. In a few weeks, the summer will end and Alcid will go back to school. She talked with her mother and father about which classes to take in her second year. She definitely wasn’t a demon for scaring or possessing people. She was never good at deception or tempting others, so she had a real dilemma. She had to choose classes but she didn’t know which ones. Her mother said that she’ll be proud of her no matter the classes she chooses.

The summer vacation was ending in a week and Alcid went back to school. When she arrived, she was happy to see that Kheba was her roommate again on the second floor. Alcid thought that that was just coincidence but Kheba explained that she asked to be her roommate and if they didn’t make that happen that shell call her father, the head of the Krampus family. Whatever the reason Alcid was happy that she shared the room with her friend.

Still not sure what classes to take in her second year, Alcid went to see Miss Xubrah, which she admired. She knocked on Miss Xubrah’s door and heard her say “Yes, come in.”.

Alcid came in, stood in front of Miss Xubrah’s desk and Miss Xubrah gestured towards her to sit. Alcid sat and said. “I’m sorry to disturb you, I’m sure you don’t remember me, but I have some questions.”

“Don’t remember you? I remember that I had to snap my tail the most in your class because others were laughing at you and making fun of you. Of course, I remember you. How can I help?” Miss Xubrah said.

“Well, actually I need some advice. You always seemed so calm, composed and had every situation under control. I admire that about you and that’s why I’m here. I’m now starting my second year and don’t know what classes to take. Do you have any advice?” Alcid asked.

“Actually I do. Don’t be one of them. One of the scary, manipulative, tempting demons. There’s a whole bunch of them out there. If you become one of them, you will never be anyone in life, just one out of thousands of scary demons. Do something else. I saw that the words and insults others threw at you hurt you, why not make it opposite. Why don’t you learn how to be smart, ruthless, composed, know how to handle every situation and never let anyone stand in your way, never let anyone’s words and insults hurt you again.” Miss Xubrah said.

Alcid was sitting in the chair listening to Miss Xubrah talk and it all started to make sense in Alcid’s head. She thanked Miss Xubrah for the advice and left. On her way to the dorm, Miss Xubrah’s words echoed in her mind. Miss Xubrah was right, all her life Alcid was letting the words of other demons get to her, but they were just words that she could easily throw back at them. She knew now what classes she would take.

Alcid registered for all the classes that would make her smarter, more ruthless, teach her how to fight and how to act composed and in charge of every situation. By the end, Alcid had fifteen classes this year alone. That many classes didn’t give her much free time but she always found time to hang out with Kheba.

Time flew by fast and Alcid forgot about the paper and the symbol she found under her bed. However, she learned many new things that made her more confident and a much difficult target to make fun of. 


	3. The symbol

By the end of the third year, Alcid was walking from the main school building to her dorm and walked by a group of demons. One big demon insulted her, she threw an insult back at him and stood looking coldly at him. He turned around, saw the way she was looking at him and that only made him angrier. He walked towards her, grabbed her with is left hand by the neck and slammed her against the wall.

“Who do you think you are you little pest? You think you could insult me and get away with it?” The demon said, squeezed his right hand into a fist and prepared to hit her face. Alcid was holding his left forearm with her hands, kicking him and trying to get free. The other demons yelled at their friend to stop but he ignored them. Alcid started to panic and out of fear the acid started to come out of her palms, dissolving the demons forearm. 

The demon and Alcid fell to the floor. The demon screamed in agony as the acid completely dissolved his forearm and hand in a few seconds. One of his friends ran to get a teacher and Alcid was just sitting on the floor, looking at her palms baffled. The teacher arrived and they called an ambulance. The ambulance took the demon away and the teacher took Alcid and the other demons to the school principal. 

“Explain what happened.” The school principal said.

“The injured demon attacked me. He grabbed me by the neck and started choking me. I saw that was going to hit me and I defended myself.” Alcid said.

“Is that what happened boys? And if you lie I will know.” The school principal asked the two demons.

“Yes. That’s what happened.” They said, not wanting to suffer the same fate as their friend.

“All right. I will not punish you this time because it was self-defense. However, you have to be more careful with your powers young lady. Now off you go.” The school principal said.

Alcid headed to her dorm thinking about what the school principal said. She had powers. Her acid came out of her palms, not just out of her flower. This has never happened before. On her way to the dorm, she picked up a rock and held it in her hand. She concentrated on letting acid out of her palm, but nothing happened. She repeated it all the way, until she reached the dorm. Maybe she couldn’t control her powers at will, but at least, now she knew that she had them. Alcid told the news to Kheba who immediately gave her a bunch of things she wanted to get rid of.

“You can use those for practice.” Kheba said.

“I’m not a garbage can Kheba.” Alcid said with a serious look on her face, but she took the things Kheba gave her.

Alcid practiced controlling her powers every day and after two months, she successfully dissolved a doll head in her hand. She was so happy that she invited Kheba to go out to lunch and shopping with her.

“Yes! You did it! I’m so proud. Yeah, let’s go out, just don’t dissolve my fork.” Kheba said and laughed.

They had fun out walking around town. They had lunch, went shopping, visited the City horror museum and walked past the City library. That’s when Alcid remembered the paper and the symbol. Alcid made a mental note to come back here and search for the symbol. They made it back to school a few minutes before dinner. After dinner, they went to their room and had fun with dissolving things that Kheba gave to Alcid.

The next day Alcid went to the City library and asked the librarian about books with the demon symbols, but the old demon symbols that belonged to old demon families. The librarian gave her a piece of paper with a list of twelve books so she went and searched for them.

Alcid found them, she took the oldest book first and started to compare the symbols in the book with the symbol from the paper. In the oldest book, she found a similar symbol that represented the royal family, it dated back many thousands of years. It wasn’t the same so Alcid kept looking. After a few more books, she found another symbol that looked similar to hers. It represented good fortune for the royal family, it was similar but it still wasn’t the same. There were still five books left, so she took another one. That one was useless, but the next one had a symbol almost identical to hers, only one line was missing. The symbol represented the prosperity of the royal family. This was getting weird, all the symbols that were similar to hers had something to do with the royal family.

Alcid quickly went through the last two books, and in the last book, she found her symbol. Her symbol represented the change and prosperity of the demon royal family. She sat there looking at the symbol thinking that it must be a joke. She was a simple farmer’s daughter, what connection did she have to the royal family that were murdered seventeen years ago. The same number of years as she was old. Alcid put the books back on the shelves and headed back to her dorm room.

In her room, Alcid sat on the bed, looking at Kheba’s symbols. “How do you know if the demon symbol on a paper scroll is real?” Alcid asked.

“Easy. If it belongs to you, or your family it will glow silver if you touch it. I’ll show you.” Kheba said. Kheba had two paper scrolls with two different symbols on it. She touched the first one and the symbol glowed silver. “This is my family symbol. The circle represents unity and the maze inside it means prosperity.” She said and touched the other one that also glowed silver. “This is my symbol, well, not just mine. It is the symbol of the hundredth generation of the Krampus family. All my sisters and brothers from my generation have the same symbol. The four spirals represent strength and the hands with claws above and underneath it mean to keep us safe. Every symbol has its meaning and that meaning gives it power.” Kheba said.

“Wow. So your family gives each generation a symbol?” Alcid asked.

“Yeah, but other families give each of their children a symbol. We are special because there are so many of us.” Kheba said.

When Kheba was in class Alcid took out her paper scroll and touched the symbol. It glowed silver. It had a maze, two hands with claws, one over and one under the maze and two snakes with heads shaped like arrows encircling the maze and the hands. ‘_So the symbol means prosperity, safety and the snakes going in a circle probably mean change like the book said_._ I have to find the royal family symbol on a paper scroll._’ Alcid though. If the royal symbol doesn’t glow, all her troubles will go away. ‘_But what if it glows?_’ Alcid though.

Summer came and Alcid went back to the village, to her family. This summer she looked at her mother and father through different eyes. Alcid still loved them but she was upset that they were keeping such a large secret from her. One night at dinner, she asked her parents. “Who am I?”

“What do you mean Alcid? You are our daughter.” Her mother replied.

“Dad, who am I?” Alcid looked at her father with a serious face expecting a different answer. She knew that her father wasn’t a good liar. 

“As your mother said...” He started to say but Alcid interrupted him.

“I know what mom sad. I’m asking you. Who am I?” Alcid said.

“Ahh… Well...” Her father looked at her mother, who gave him the I’m going to kill you look, and continued. “You are our daughter.” The words came out of his mouth as if they weighed a ton.

“So you are still going to lie to me?” Alcid asked.

“We are not lying to you. You are our daughter. We raised you, we cared for you and we still do. But...” Her mother suddenly stopped talking.

“But we are not your real parents.” Her father said.

“Then who are my real parents?” Alcid asked.

“We don’t know. Men on horses came to our village. They were carrying you, wrapped in a blanket. They told us to take care of you and they gave us two paper scrolls.” Her mother said.

“They told us to put one school in your bedroom, but we didn’t want the others to see it, so we put it under the mattress. And the other one we hid.” Her father said.

“I found the one in my room. I found out what it was and that’s why I’m asking you who I am. Can you give me the second scroll?” Alcid asked.

“They told us to give it to you when you come of age, when you finish high school.” Her mother said.

“It’s my last year in high school, I’ll be eighteen in a few months. What’s the difference?” Alcid said.

“Ok.” Her father said, stood up and went to get the paper scroll.

“If you knew, why didn’t you say something Alcid?” Her mother asked.

“I need to be sure before I tell you what I found out.” Alcid said.

Her father returned with a paper tube decorated in silver letters, he opened it, took out the paper scroll and gave it to Alcid. She unrolled the paper scroll and looked at the symbol on it. On the top was a crown and underneath it was a circle. Between the crown and a circle was the infinity symbol. In the circle was a maze, in each corner of the scroll was a spiral. Alcid touched the crown and the whole symbol started to glow gold.

“What does that mean?” Her mother asked.

Alcid put the royal scroll on the table, took the paper scroll that was under her bed, out of her bag and put it beside the royal scroll. First, Alcid put her left hand on the symbol from her bedroom and it glowed silver. Then she put her right hand on the royal symbol and both symbols glowed gold.

“This mom means that I am the lost daughter of the king and queen of demons that were killed almost eighteen years ago. The exact number of years as I am old.” Alcid said.

“What are we going to do now?” Her father asked.

“Nothing. I will hide the paper scrolls and we will tell no one about this until I finish high school. I have started to gain powers I didn’t have when I was little and with the knowledge and my powers I will avenge my parent’s murder.” Alcid said.

“You have powers?” Her mother and father asked at the same time.

“Yeah, let me show you.” Alcid went out of the house, grabbed a rock, put it in her palm, started to produce acid in her palm and dissolved the rock in seconds. “That’s not all I can do. I can shoot acid at others from any part of my body.” She said happily. 

“Wow! You have powers. This is a time to celebrate. I will make your favorite meal tomorrow.” Her mother said.

“Thanks mom.” Alcid said and started to roll up the paper scrolls, put them in the paper tube decorated in silver letters and in her bag. 

After summer vacation, ended Alcid was back in school. The last year was the toughest. Together with classes, they had field trips and had to write papers on things they have learned in the past two years. Alcid even grew a bit in these four years. She had to buy a completely new wardrobe because she outgrew all the clothes she brought from home. Now taller, leaner, more composed, with bigger claws she started to look more like a real demon.

When Alcid wasn’t in class or doing homework, she concentrated on finding out what exactly happened to the king and queen of demons. She knew that the king tried to ban killing the mortals and that the demons rebelled. The king had the power to control fire and the queen to control ice. They were so powerful that, in the attack on the palace, they killed more than a thousand demons. 

‘_So, with such powers, how did they end up dead? They had to be betrayed._ _But who had the most to gain from killing them and stopping the ban on killing mortals?_’ Alcid thought. The only ones who came into that category were the demons that possessed or scared mortals. Then she remembered. There were demons that fed on mortals. They were very rare and very dangerous. They were the largest and scariest demons that could singlehandedly kill hundreds of demons, so Alcid concentrated on these demons.


	4. The power

Alcid found out that there was one mortal eating demon that was alive when the king and queen were murdered and that he was here in the demon realm now. She asked Kheba to go on a walk with her and that she wanted to show her something, when in fact she just didn’t want to go alone to talk to the mortal eating demon. When they reached the cemetery Kheba got mad at Alcid because she lied to her, Alcid apologized and told her she had a good reason. 

Alcid walked over to the mortal eating demon who was sitting on a grave cleaning his teeth with a broken demon bone and asked him. “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you but can I ask you a few questions?”

The demon sniffed the air a few times and said. “You smell familiar. Do I know you?”

“I don’t think so. Can you tell me if you hated the royal family? You see, I’m doing this for school and I know you were here when the demons rebelled.” Alcid said.

“Of course I hated the royal family. I’m a mortal eater and the king wanted to ban killing mortals.” The demon said. “I felt such a surge of happiness when I ripped his head from his shoulders.”

Alcid could barely contain her rage and after a few moments, she asked him. “Did you kill the queen too?”

“Yes. I ripped her in half and ate her head. Demons don’t taste as good as mortals.” The demon said.

Alcid was so enraged now that she came closer to the mortal eating demon that was ten times bigger than she was, and said. “Thank you for talking to me. We are going to leave you in pieces now.”

“What? Don’t you mean in peace?” the demon said.

“No. You heard me correctly.” Alcid said and shot her acid all over him. In a few seconds, all that was left of him was a few pieces of bones and skin. The first part of Alcid’s plan was over. He avenged her parent’s death. 

“Whoa! That was amazing Alcid.” Kheba said. “Do you know what you just did?”

“I killed a mortal eating demon that killed the king and queen. I know. Why?” Acid said and gave her a confused look.

“I got some amazing pictures. You look like a hero demoness on them.” Kheba said with a smile.

“Pictures? Why did you take pictures?” Alcid asked.

“Because it looked legendary. A battle between the smallest demon and the biggest demon. This will go down into history books!” Kheba said smiling from ear to ear.

“Kheba show me your hands. Good. Now promise me that you won’t show the pictures to anyone or tell anyone what just happened. Promise me!” Alcid said with a serious voice.

“I promise.” Kheba said and rolled her eyes.

“Ok.” Alcid said and they left the cemetery and headed to the dorm.

On their way there, Alcid’s mind was occupied with thoughts about the king and queen’s murder. Now that Alcid avenged their deaths, she had to retake the throne. That meant that she needed to find the traitors of the royal family, to learn to see the deception in others. To know when others are lying so Alcid can remove them from the royal palace in pieces. The royal palace was a fortress. There was no way that such a big demon like a mortal eater could just walk in the royal chamber by himself and there is no way the other demons could break down the doors and swarm the palace without help.

Alcid still wasn’t good at telling when people lied or deceived her. However, as in most cases, it’s easier to see one if you are one. So for her last year courses, Alcid registered for all courses that dealt with lying, deceiving mortals, learning to recognize lies and deceit in others, ways to make others reveal the that they are lying and how to read the body language of liars, manipulators and deceivers.

The next morning, Alcid went down to the cafeteria and when she walked in almost all demoness’ looked at her like she was a goddess, not demoness ‘_What’s going on?_’ She thought. She took a tray of food and sat next to Kheba. While she was eating, she could feel demonesses’ looking at her, but when she looked at them, they pretended that they weren’t looking at her. Alcid looked at her clothes and body and asked Kheba if there was something strange about her face or flower, but Kheba sad that everything was normal, as usual.

They left to go to class and as Alcid was walking to the main school building some demons looked at her wide-eyed, others with awe in their eyes. Al the demons moved out of her way to make room for her to pass and if a demon didn’t move, the others made sure he did. As she entered the classroom one of the demons that always made fun of her was holding her chair, waiting for her to sit. Alcid sat in the chair and the demon pushed the chair to the table. 

‘_This is all Kheba’s fault. I forgot about the toes. She showed them the pictures._’ Alcid thought and the second the classes ended, she hurried to her room. She found Kheba lying on the bed, on her stomach, listening to music. Alcid took off her headphones and yelled angrily “You showed them the pictures! You promised you wouldn’t and you still showed them! How could you do that?!”

“You forgot the toes.” Kheba looked at her and said calmly with a small smile.

“Just tell me that you didn’t tell them why we were there and what I was talking about with the mortal eating demon.” Alcid said.

“I didn’t. I just showed hem a picture of you killing the demon and a selfie of me with what was left of the demon.” Kheba said.

“Good. Now sit up and show me your hands and feet and the tail.” Alcid said.

Kheba did what Alcid said. “Now what?” Kheba asked.

“Now you promise me that you won’t tell anybody what I was talking about with the mortal eating demon.” Alcid said.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone what you and the mortal eating demon were talking about. That good enough?” Kheba asked.

“Yes. And you know what will happen if you break your promise?” Alcid asked.

“I know. You will dissolve everything I own with your acid, even the clothes I’m wearing, and give me a haircut with it.” Kheba said with a cold look.

“Good. Then that’s settled.” Alcid said.

The rest of the year went by quickly and Alcid learned a lot about how to recognize liars and deceivers, but she wasn’t the best in her class. The best in her class was a demon called Vannal. He could see if someone was lying just by looking at them, he was a natural. Alcid got along well with him and he thought her a lot. She made a mental note to call on him when she’ll need someone to help her find the traitors of the royal throne

Graduation day was in two weeks, which meant that in two weeks school will be over and all the demons she met in the last four years will start their own lives. The thing that hurt the most was that Alcid won’t be able to spend every day with Kheba. She will miss her, but she had a parting gift for her.

One night, they were both in their room. Alcid told Kheba that she wanted to show her something as a parting gift. Alcid opened a drawer and took out a paper tube decorated in silver letters.

“What is that?” Kheba asked.

“You’ll see.” Alcid opened the paper tube and took out two paper scrolls. She unrolled them both on her bed. On the left was the royal scroll and on the right Alcid’s scroll.

“Wait the scroll with the crown. That’s the royal scroll, right? How did you get it?” Kheba asked.

Alcid looked at Kheba and said. ”Eighteen years ago, knights on horses came to my parents, gave them a child and told them to take care of it. With the child, they gave them these two scrolls. I found this one, on the right, under my bed and my dad gave the other one to me. Now, look what happens when I touch them.”

Alcid put her hand on the symbol on the right and it glowed silver. 

“But you aren’t from an old family. Why is it glowing?” Kheba asked.

“That’s not the strangest thing. You know the books of the family symbols in the City library. The symbols magically appear in the books when they are created. This one appeared in the book one day after my day of birth.”

“Ours appear the same way. That’s not weird.” Kheba said.

“The weird part is the explanation next to the symbol. The explanation is change and prosperity of the demon royal family.” Alcid said. “Now watch what happens when I touch the royal scroll.”

Alcid put her right hand on the royal symbol and both symbols started to glow gold.

“Whoa! I’ve never seen a symbol glow gold. Does that mean that you are the missing child?” Kheba asked.

“Well, I am the right age and the symbols glow gold. The king had the power over an element, over the fire, the queen too, over the ice, and I too have power over an element, the acid. So you got a really powerful friend here Kheba.” Alcid said.

“Pfffff… You’re not more powerful than us Krampus’.” Kheba said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Two days before graduation Alcid was sitting in class talking to Vannal and two dozen other demons about what are they going to do after school. None of them had a concrete answer. Most of the demons she was talking to looked scary or threatening but how they felt inside and what they wanted to do in their lives didn’t reflect their appearance.

“What if I tell you that there is a way that you can do what you wanted and not be judged by the way you look. Wood a job like that interest you?” Alcid asked.

The demons looked at her confused and one of them asked. “Is this a joke?”

“No. It’s the opportunity for you to do what you want and to not be judged.” Alcid said.

Al the demons said yes at the same time.

“Wait a second. This is too good to be true. There must be a catch. What is it?” Vannal asked.

Alcid looked at him and said. “Smart and scary. That’s what I like about you. There is a catch. The catch is that you all have to listen to me. Does anyone have a problem with that?”

All the demons said no at the same time and Vannal just shrugged.

The school ended. At the graduation ceremony, they all got medals that gave them the power to go to the mortal realm. They weren’t real medals, they were magic symbols engraved into their skin that let them pass the barrier between the demon and the mortal world. After the ceremony, they celebrated the end of school and promised to keep in touch.


	5. The change

A week after school ended Alcid gathered the two dozen demons and together with Vannal they headed towards the royal palace. At the main entrance to the royal palace were two guards that told them that visiting the royal palace vas forbidden.

“Well, then that is good for us because we are not visiting the palace.” Alcid said calmly.

The guards looked at her confused and told her to go away, that the palace was locked and that she couldn’t go in.

“You pour souls. There isn’t a place I can’t go.” Alcid said and put her palm on the door lock, she began releasing acid and the door lock started to dissolve. The guards looked at her and the door baffled. Once the lock dissolved completely, Alcid opened the door and she and the demons with her entered the main entrance of the palace. 

The main entrance looked unkempt. There was dust everywhere, the floor was dirty and the carpet had disgusting stains and smelled awful. All of this was the fault of the mayor of the city who lived here. All the demons in the demon world were corrupt mortal souls, but the mayor’s soul was so corrupt with greed and disregard for others that he was the number one on the list of most hated demons. The only things that kept him as a mayor of the city were his political ties and the corrupt and greedy souls of other demons in high positions.

They climbed the stairs towards the door to the royal throne room. The door was all scratched up from the battle with the demons, but they were also full of dust and rust. The doors were so full of rust that the larger demons from the group barely managed to open it. The royal throne room looked like the battel and the murder of the king and queen, Vikorith and Domitia Chaios, happened only yesterday. There were broken statues, broken glass, broken furniture and claw marks all around the room and on the floor. Alcid started to walk towards the king and queens thrones, but stopped when she saw blood on the carpet, leading to the thrones. The mayor didn’t even have the decency to clean the blood of her parents. Barely keeping herself composed, rage building inside of her, she asked one of the demons to alert all the media that in an hour something is going to happen on the balcony where the royal family spoke to the public.

In that hour, Alcid asked one of the other demons that was skilled in magic, to make a big screen with sound over the balcony and to show what was happening on the balcony on that screen, so that all the demons on the main square in front of the palace could see. She also told him to make the same screens with sound in all towns and villages.

With twenty minutes to go, Alcid stood next to the balcony preparing for her speech holding the paper tube with silver decorations in her hands. With five minutes to go, Alcid stepped out on the balcony and pulled down the strings that usually held the paper scrolls. She opened the paper tube and took out the paper scrolls. She hanged her paper scroll on the right side of the balcony and the royal paper scroll on the left. 

She turned around and saw hundreds of demons on the main square and all the news crews. Alcid started to get nervous but Vannal peeked onto the balcony and said. “You can do it. Just pretend you are talking to us.” He smiled and left.

The big screen over her showed her and the two paper scrolls behind her. Alcid walked over to the edge of the balcony and said. “My fellow demons and demoness I stand today before you as Alcid Chaios.”

Alcid heard a murmur in the crowd of demons but she continued. “I am the lost child that disappeared on the day my parents, the king and queen, Vikorith and Domitia Chaios, were murdered. They were betrayed and then murdered by a mortal eating demon. I avenged their murder and killed the mortal eating demon.” As she said the pictures that Kheba took of her throwing acid at the demon and the demon dissolving appeared on the screen.

“To prove to you that I really am the lost child and heir to the throne, I have the royal symbol and the symbol given to me by the king and queen. They are all in the books of symbols connected to the royal family. I will touch the symbols and you will see that they are my family’s symbol and my symbol.”

At that moment, the mayor stepped on to the balcony and angrily yelled. “It doesn’t matter who you are! I run this city! The time of kings and queens is in the past. You have no authority, no power here! This city, the demon world is mine. Do you understand?!”

Alcid looked calmly at him and quietly said. “I have all the right and all the power I need.” She smiled at him, put her hand on his forehead and acid started to run down his face. In a few seconds, the mayor was gone. Alcid heard cheering from hundreds of demons on the main square.

“Now, quiet down and look.” Alcid turned around, lifted her right hand, touched her symbol and it glowed silver. Then she lifted her left hand and touched the royal symbol. Both symbols glowed gold. Alcid heard a simultaneous whoa sound of hundreds of demons. She lowered her hands and turned around back towards the square. The demons were all, for a few moments, looking at her wide-eyed and then started chanting her name repeatedly. “Alcid Chaios, our queen! Alcid Chaios, our queen...”

The demons in the palace helped her take down the scrolls and put them in a safe place. With the mayor gone it was time to renovate the palace. She ordered the guards to summon the staff in the throne room. Alcid was standing in the middle of the throne room when the staff members began to enter. When they all kneeled before her, she asked. “Can you explain to me why the most important room in the palace looks like this?” However, she got no answer.

She walked over to one of the staff members and told him to stand up. 

“I asked a question and I expect an answer.” Alcid said.

“The mayor told us to leave it as it is.” The staff member said.

“You see, it’s not that difficult.” Alcid said. “There are fifty of you so I will put you to good use. I have tasks for all of you. I will give you a month to clean the palace and make new carpets and decorations.”

“You will remove the damaged things and clean the dust, the mold and help the workers I’ll hire to repair the damaged windows and statues.” Alcid said to the men. 

“You will make a new carpet for the throne room and wall decorations. The new royal colors are white, black, red, blood red and silver. The carpet in the throne room will be black with a silver edge and blood red symbols from the royal and my paper scroll. Do you understand?” Alcid said to the women.

In the meantime, Alcid will use the time to find out who betrayed her parents. She asked the guards if there was anyone here, in the palace, who was in the palace when the king and queen were murdered. The guard said that the mayor chased away everyone from the palace and put his own people in. 

Alcid also used the time to fulfill the promises she made to her demon friends. She asked her friend what they wanted to do and got some strange answers from such scary demons. One wanted to be chief of staff, another a librarian, one less scary one liked animals so he wanted to run the stables, the biggest of them all wanted to be the leader of the royal guard. Alcid warned him that the guards at the palace were the mayor’s guards ant that they were probably spies for others. She told him to get rid of the guards that are here now and to look for other demons who wanted the job. She also planned to get rid of the staff members when the renovation was over and make a clean start.

After two weeks, an older demon came to the stables and left his horse there. He ran up towards the place. The guards stopped him wanting to know what he was doing here and what his intentions were. He was a big demon so he just pushed them aside and ran towards the throne room. Seeing that it was under construction he started yelling. “Alcid! Alcid! Alcid, where are you?”

Alcid heard the commotion and ran down the stairs from her room. She walked over to the throne room and saw a big demon standing there looking at her. Alcid looked at him confused as he ran towards her and hugged her tightly. “Oh, Alcid. I thought I would never see you again. I’m so happy that you’re alive.” He said.

“Ahm… Can you please let me go and tell me who you are?” Alcid said.

The demon let her go and still holding her by the shoulders he said. “ I’m Sigurd, I was your father’s best friend. I was crushed when you went missing and when they murdered your father and mother. But when I saw you on that screen, two weeks ago, I rushed to get here, to see you.” Sigurd said.

“You knew my father?” Alcid asked.

“Not only knew him, but we also grew up together. His nanny was my mother and we spent each day together.” Sigurd said.

“Could you tell me about my parents?” Alcid asked.

“Absolutely. I can tell you right now that they would be proud of you.” Sigurd said.

“You must be hungry and thirsty after your trip. Let’s go to the kitchen and you can tell me about my parents.” Alcid said.

“You said the magic word, lead the way.” Sigurd said.

They sat in the kitchen, eating and drinking. Sigurd told Alcid stories about her father and about how he met her mother and funny stories about his friendship with her father. They talked almost all night, but at one point Sigurd felt tired and they called it a day. The next few days Alcid enjoyed Sigurd stories and one day she asked him. “Were you here when they attacked my parents?”

“No. I was on a mission to help a village. Maybe if I was here that wouldn’t have happened.” Sigurd said.

“Do you know who was here and who held a grudge against my parents?” Alcid asked.

“Everyone liked your parents. Your father wanted to ban killing mortals because, when you were born, he didn’t want to see you with the blood of mortals on your hands. But I don’t think that the ban was the real reason your parents were murdered.” Sigurd said.

“Why?” Alcid asked.

Did you look at your family tree? Sigurd asked.

“I did. It’s huge.” Alcid said.

“Let’s go see it.” Sigurd said.

“Can I ask a friend to come with us?” Alcid asked.

“Yeah, sure.” Sigurd said.

Alcid called Vannal to join them and they headed to Alcid’s room. They opened the map of the royal family tree on the floor of the room, Sigurd pointed at Alcid’s grandparents and said. “This were the king and queen before your parents. As you can see here they had two children, your father and an older son Roknin.”

“Why is his picture gray?” Alcid asked.

“I’ll get to that. Roknin had a son Ulrahr. This is him here. When your grandparents died the new king would have been Roknin and then Ulrahr, but… Roknin died and that made the second son, your father heir to the throne. That’s why Roknin’s picture is gray.” Sigurd said.

“But Ulrahr is still alive and probably angry that he’ll never be a king.” Alcid said.

“He could be a king if he killed your parents and you. And I think he did that but he didn’t kill you, so he still can’t be the king.” Sigurd said.

“What do you mean can’t be king? What if I never found out I was the heir to the throne?” Alcid asked.

“The royal crowns of the king and queen are magical. If the true king or queen doesn’t wear them, they look like they are made out of stone. However, if the real king or queen wears them then they are gold. He probably tried the king’s crown and it remained looking like stone.” Sigurd said. “Be careful, he now knows where you are and he may try to kill you to get to the throne.”

“I will, thank you for the warning, but I’m not that easy to kill.” Alcid said with a smile.

“Yeah, I saw your stunt with the mortal eating demon. Impressive, really impressive.” Sigurd said.


	6. The crown

One night Alcid just went to bed. A few moments after she heard a squeaking noise and saw that the window was opened. In the corner of her eye, she saw something move, lifted her hand in the air and said. “I saw you. Whoever you are, you are not going to have a fun time here.”

The shadow jumped on her bed and yelled “Booo!” Alcid, startled, screamed and almost fell out of bed. Then she heard a familiar laugh and said. “Kheba! Are you insane? My heart skipped a beat.”

A dozen guards entered the room but Alcid told them that everything was all right, that her high school friend just started her and she sent them away. The guards, confused, left Alcid’s room.

Alcid hugged Kheba and said. “Look at you. You got your powers! You are a Krampus now.”

“Yes, my uncle is still teaching me but look at my horns. Aren’t they beautiful?” Kheba asked.

“Yes. And you are not white anymore. You look stunning.” Alcid said.

“This year I’ll go with my uncle to the mortal world to see what a Krampus does there, but next year I’m going alone. Next year I’ll be a real Krampus.” Kheba said with pride.

“I’m so happy for you. But don’t miss my coronation this year.” Alcid said.

“I won’t. I promise.” Kheba said.

“Oh, no you don’t. Show me the fingers, toes and the tale and then promise.” Alcid said.

Kheba did as Alcid said and they laughed. Kheba had to go but she sad that she’ll come back and visit when she had time.

Alcid spent the next week with Vannal gathering information out of people. They needed to know where Ulrahr was hiding and Vannal’s skills came in handy here. They found out that he was in the city and probably had spies in the palace. That was all they needed. They returned to the palace and went to the throne room.

First, they summoned the staff members to the throne room. They told them to wait at the beginning of the room and one by one called them in front of the thrones. They asked each of them if they knew where Ulrahr was. Vannal read them and dismissed those that weren’t lying. After about fifty staff members, Vannal signaled Alcid that the staff member in front of her was lying.

“Why are you lying to me?” Alcid asked.

“I’m not lying. I don’t know where he is.” The staff member said.

“Then what are you lying about?” Alcid asked.

“Nothing, I swear.” The staff member said and started to sweat.

Alcid put her thumb on his shoulder, released a small amount of acid. The staff member screamed in pain. She said. “Don’t make me repeat myself because I will repeat this too.”

“Alright. He pays me to give him information about you. We always meat at the small square near the fountain with demons eating a mortal.” The staff member said.

“When does he expect new information?” Alcid asked.

“Tomorrow.” The staff member said.

“Good, you will guide us there and act like nothing is happening. If you so much as twitch the wrong way or say something to him Ill dissolve all your bones with my acid. Do you understand?” Alcid said and the staff member nodded.

The next day Alcid and Vannal followed the staff member and saw him talking to Ulrahr. When they were done talking, Alcid and Vannal continued to follow Ulrahr all the way to a house. They looked through the windows and saw him throw his jacket on a chair and sit go in the kitchen. He started to act out, throw things, smash plates and scream angrily. When he calmed down, he sat in a chair at the table with his head in his palms. Alcid and Vannal snuck into his house, Vannal grabbed his hands and threw him on the floor, still holding his hands. Alcid took some rope and they tied his hands and feet. 

Alcid put her hand over his mouth and said. “You know what I can do with my hands. If you scream it will be the last sound you will ever make. We have some questions for you and with each question, you don’t answer you lose a finger. Every time you lie, you lose a toe. Do you understand?”

Ulrahr looked at her full of rage but nodded. Alcid removed her hand off his mouth, sat in front of him and said. “Were you at the palace when my parents were killed?”

“No.” Ulrahr said.

“He’s telling the truth.” Vannal said.

“Did you kill my parents and try to kill me to become a king.” Alcid asked.

Ulrahr looked at a calm face and said. “No, I did not kill your parents.”

“He’s telling the truth.” Vannal said.

“Yeah, he is. The mortal eating demon killed my parents. So let’s rephrase the question. Did you come up with a plan to kill my parents and me and put it in motion to become a king?” Alcid asked.

Ulrahr looked at her with hatred in his eyes and said. “No.”

“He’s lying.” Vannal said.

“Ok. One toe less it is.” Alcid said and dropped a few drops of acid on one of Ulrahr’s toes. Ulrahr screamed in pain as his toe dissolved. 

“Alright. I made a plan to kill you and your family but they took you away and my plan failed.” Ulrahr said through his teeth.

“Do you plan to kill me now?” Alcid asked.

Ulrahr looked at her angrily but didn’t say anything.

“Do you really hate your fingers that much?” Alcid asked.

Ulrahr leaned forward, looked into her eyes and said. “I dream of it every day.” Then he spat in her face.

“Vannal, I think we are done here. Ulrahr I’m sorry you’re so obsessed with being a king. It’s nothing special. I liked my life more when I was just a simple farm girl. I hope that in your next life you get what you want.” Alcid said, put her hand on his head and let acid run down his body until there was nothing left of him.

When the renovation of the palace was completed and the palace shone in its new glory Alcid decided that it was time for the crowning ceremony. She scheduled the date and invited the most important demons, but she also left the palace doors open to anyone who wanted to come. The day before the ceremony Alcid took Vannal to the roof of the palace. It was the best spot to look at the red moon. She loved to spend time here.

“Why did you bring me here?” Vannal asked.

“To give you something.” Alcid responded. Alcid liked Vannal. He sometimes acted like a fool but most of the time he was serious and composed. The thing she liked most about him was that he was smart and very perceptive, He had black four horns, two on each side of his head, coming from his temples and going to the back of his head. He had black fur all over his body with intricate white pattern starting from the corner of his eyes, down the side of his face to his shoulders, arms and torso. He also had short hair that made him look like a mad scientist sometimes.

“What?” Vannal asked.

“You’re smart. Figure it out.” Alcid said looking at him with a smile.

“A push off the roof?” Vannal asked.

Alcid laughed and said. “No. I’m not goanna kill you. I want to give you this.” Alcid took out a golden ring decorated with royal symbols.

“Why are you giving me this? This is a king’s ring?” Vannal asked.

“Because I like you, I admire you, you’re funny, smart, cute and I don’t want the throne next to me to be empty.” Alcid said.

“You’re asking me to marry you and be the king?” Vannal asked and Alcid kissed him.

“Yes I am. So what do you say?” Alcid said.

“Yes.” Vannal said.

On the day of the crowning ceremony, both thrones were occupied and there were two paper scrolls hanging over the thrones under the royal scroll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)  
Every comment is welcome


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